Tag: Pitch and Page

It’s the first of the month, and time for the launch of the tenth novella in the Infected Books YEAR OF THE ZOMBIE series. This month, I’m really pleased to introduce Scott McGlasson, the winner of our Pitch and Page competition, and his story, NOCK.

Ten years After civilization collapsed, a walled city is the only world Stace Tomlinson has ever known. Undead ferals and living marauders still prowl the wilderness outside, but the people of Shawnee Lodge have adapted as best they can. Ammunition, electronics, and gasoline are now distant memories from Before, and they have once again taken up the bow. When almost all the horses and cattle were slaughtered, they learned how to turn ferals into dociles, pulling their ploughs and wagons, turning the wheels of their mills.

It’s a simple life of crops and crafts, but Stace doesn’t want to end up stuck on a farm. She wants to follow in her father’s footsteps, outside the walls. Rob Tomlinson is a Ranger – one of the best, a master of fieldcraft and feral hunting – and living in the shadow of such a fearsome, well-respected figure comes with its own problems. The pressure Stace feels to match up to her father’s expectations can be unbearable. Sometimes, though, life has a habit of showing you one path, then leading you down another.

Stace has struggled to prove to her father that she’s up to the job. Today, though, she’s going to have to step up. Both of their lives depend on it.

It’s with great pleasure that I’m able to announce the winner of the Infected Books Year of the Zombie Pitch and Page competition. It’s taken a while for the judging process to be completed, and I’m sorry to have kept folks waiting for the result. We had a good number of entries, but there was a clear favourite which judges Michael Preissl, Gina Panettieri and I unanimously picked.

Congratulations to SCOTT MCGLASSON. Scott’s novella NOCK will be October’s Year of the Zombie release.

Huge thanks to EVERYONE who entered the competition. I’d like to particularly mention a number of other great writers who were highly commended by the judges: Dan Howarth, Matthew Gilman, Angela Bodine and Mouse-Diver Dudfield.

There’s an intentional hole in the Infected Books Year of the Zombie schedule for October. As well as showcasing some of the best zombie authors out there, we wanted YoZ to include more than a little fresh meat. We’ve already had debut novellas from Gary Slaymaker and James Plumb, and we’re looking for a brand new writer to take the coveted Halloween slot.

Most of you will know by now that 2016 has been officially designated YEAR OF THE ZOMBIE by Infected Books – 12 months, 12 original zombie novellas. We kicked things off in style earlier this month with Adam Baker’s well-received KILLCHAIN, and we’re looking forward to launching novella #2 at the beginning of February.

As I’ve mentioned previously, 11 of the 12 slots have already been filled by a host of well-known zombie authors. We’re planning on finding author number 12 by running an exclusive PITCH AND PAGE competition (we want you to sell your story to us by submitting a 25 word pitch and a 250 word first page). I’ll be judging entries alongside respected literary agent Gina Panettieri and head of Voodoo Press, Michael Preissl. The competition will run for 6 months from 6 February and the winner will get the prestigious Halloween slot. We’ve just announced full entry details over at the Infected Books site and if you have any questions, feel free to ask via the dedicated thread on the IB Facebook page.

This is a great opportunity to be a part of a project I’m really excited about. After sharing my zombie stories with you for the last fifteen years, I’m looking forward to you finally getting your revenge and bombarding me with undead nightmares of your own. Good luck!